The last remaining Roman Catholic adoption agency in England has appealed to a High Court judge in a desperate attempt to preserve its religious ethos and stay open.

Of the eleven Roman Catholic adoption agencies operating in 2007, Catholic Care is the only one which hasn’t yet closed down or ditched its religious ethos because of Labour’s sexual orientation regulations.

The Charity Commission claims the regulations mean RC adoption agencies must place children for adoption with same-sex couples, despite it being contrary to church teaching.

Appeal

Leeds-based Catholic Care wants to continue its faith based policy of assessing only married heterosexuals and single people as potential adopters.

But earlier this year the Charity Commission ruled that the agency’s religious views didn’t justify their refusal to place children with homosexuals, and it told Catholic Care to either close down its adoption service or alter its stance on same-sex adoption.

Now Catholic Care has lodged an appeal, arguing that the Charity Commission ignored a previous ruling by High Court Judge Sir Michael Briggs who ruled in favour of the agency in March.

Benjamin James, of London law firm Bircham Dyson Bell Solicitors, said the “Commission is wrong in its decision.”

Tribunal

He added: “We have lodged an appeal with the charity tribunal and the charity tribunal will request that the Charity Commission responds within 28 days.

“Once the Commission has responded, there will be a directions hearing deciding how the case will be managed going forward”.